Drone video compressor for remote video viewing

ABSTRACT

A video compressor system and device for securement to a drone controller. The device employs a low bandwidth, low latency video compressor, recorder and cellular modem that connect directly to the drone’s handheld receiver. The video compressor high quality live video from the drone’s receiver to be broadcast over a cellular network at low bandwidth rates and with low latency. The small footprint and low power consumption allows the device to be coupled directly to the drone controller, no external tethering to other larger and less mobile devices is required. The streaming video can be viewed live through a decompression sever on video walls, individual PC’s and even handheld mobile devices in the field, which also allows viewers to have complete mobility while maintaining visual connection to the drone video feed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

No sponsorship of invention.

PRIORITY CLAIM

In accordance with 37 C.F.R. 1.76, a claim of priority is included in anApplication Data Sheet filed concurrently herewith. Accordingly, thepresent invention claims priority as a continuation of U.S. ApplicationNo. 16/708,476 filed Dec. 10, 2019 entitled “Drone Video Compressor forRemote Video Viewing” which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Pat.Application No. 62/779,974 entitled “Drone Video Compressor for RemoteVideo Viewing”, filed on Dec. 14, 2018. The contents of which the abovereferenced application is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to the field of drones, also referred to asUAV and UAS (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and Unmanned Aerial System) and, inparticular, to a video compressor apparatus and method of use withdrones allowing a remote transfer of a drone captured video by linkingit via a cellular link such as 3 G/4 G/5 G/LTE and the like cellulartechnologies to VMS systems.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Drones have been adapted for use used with photography, inspections,visual surveillance and the like wherein high quality videos arerequired. For instance, U.S. Pat. 9,915,946 is directed to rooftopinspections with a drone. U.S. Pat. 7,546,187 discloses a method fornavigating a drone having an onboard digital camera. U.S. Pat. 7,460,148discloses a near real time video system for dissemination of video datafrom surveillance systems.

In operation, drones that have cameras will send the images back to thehandheld drone receiver/controller which typically employs a smallscreen so the images can be viewed in real time. This allows theoperator, referred to as the pilot, of the drone to view the live video.Unfortunately, only the pilot is viewing the video in real time. Sincethe pilot must remain within a certain distance of the drone to maintainconnectivity, there are significant limitations on viewing the livevideo feed. FAA rules also specify that the drone pilot must maintainvisual contact with the drone at all times.

To provide a larger live video viewing screen for multiple people toview the video, some pilots will connect their receiver/controller to astationary television screen or large monitor. This makes for acumbersome setup and allows only people standing in front of the screento see the live feed. When used in law enforcement or militaryoperations, this situation can also put personnel at risk by forcingthem to view the video from a specific location.

If a drone pilot wants to broadcast the live video out to remote viewinglocations away from the controller, to gain mobility, he must tether aseparate modem and power supply to the controller to obtain cellularconnectivity and video transmission. This is problematic because oncemultiple devices are tethered to the drone controller; it is difficultto use the controller as a mobile device thereby restricting themovements of the pilot. In addition, transmitting live video over acellular network uses a large amount of bandwidth, which is expensive,and may also result in low latency, poor quality video.

What is lacking in the art is a device that allows live video transferwithout complex devices tethered to the controller which could limit theportability of the controller.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed is a device that employs a low bandwidth, low latency videocompressor, recorder and cellular modem that connects directly to adrone’s handheld receiver. The device allows high quality live videofrom the drone’s receiver to be broadcast over a cellular network via 3G/4 G/5 G/LTE and the like future cellular technologies to VMS systemssuch as a Milestone, View Commander, Genetec and the like at lowbandwidth rates and with low latency. The live video may also berecorded. The small footprint and low power consumption allows thedevice to be coupled directly to the drone controller, no externaltethering to other larger and less mobile devices is required. Thisprovides the pilot with complete lightweight mobility during operation.The streaming video can be viewed live through the decompression severon video walls, individual PC’s and even handheld mobile devices in thefield, which also allows viewers to have complete mobility whilemaintaining visual connection to the drone video feed. The on-boardcompressor provides a user adjustable, low bandwidth, high-quality videofeed over cellular networks that may be prone to bandwidth restrictionsand limited allocations.

An objective of the invention is to provide a drone video device thatallows high quality live video to be collected from a drone’s receiverand broadcast over a cellular network at low bandwidth rates.

Another objective of the invention is to provide drone video device thatemploys a low bandwidth, low latency video compressor, and cellularmodem that connects directly to a drone’s handheld receiver.

Another objective of the invention is to provide a streaming video thatcan be viewed live through a decompression server on video walls, PC’s,handheld mobile devices.

Still another objective of the invention is to provide a drone videodevice having a small footprint that allows coupling directly to a dronecontroller without external tether connections.

Yet still another objective of the invention is to provide drone videodevice having an on-board compressor that provides a user adjustable,low bandwidth, high-quality video feed over cellular networks.

Other objectives and further advantages and benefits associated withthis invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from thedescription, examples and claims which follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a front right perspective view of the video compressor anddisplay screen attached to a drone controller;

FIG. 2 is a front left perspective view thereof;

FIG. 3 is rear perspective view thereof;

FIG. 4 is plane view of the compressor;

FIG. 5 is a front plane view of the video compressor formed integral toa drone controller;

FIG. 6 is a rear view thereof;

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of the system for remotelytransferring real time video from the drone controller illustrating thefunctional steps from HDMI output to VMS connection; and

FIG. 8 is flow diagram regarding system checks.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

An embodiment of the instant invention is disclosed herein, however, itis to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplaryof the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore,specific functional and structural details disclosed herein are not tobe interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and asa representation basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variouslyemploy the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailedstructure.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3 , disclosed is a video compression devicethat employs a low bandwidth, low latency video compressor, recorder andcellular modem 16. The device seamlessly couples to a cellular networksuch as Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Bell & Telus, External, via 3 G/4 G/5G/LTE and the like future cellular technologies to VMS systems such as aMilestone, Genetec and the like using low bandwidth rates with lowlatency. An HDMI camera interface 14 is provided, the input videointerface is HDMI 1.4. The on-board compressor 16 provides a highquality video feed over the limited bandwidth cellular network. Thecompressor 16 makes a connection to its decompression server located onthe internet. An associated internet server webpage can be configured tocompress the video at a specific level to suit the video qualityrequirements and cellular service. From the decompression server, thevideo is delivered to the VMS as a locally connected ONVIF compliantstream.

The device operates as part of a system for remotely transferring realtime video from an Unmanned Aerial System (drone), not shown, whereinlive streaming of images from the real time video displayed on the dronecontroller can also be viewed remotely.

In one embodiment a drone controller 20 having control yokes 22 and 24is wirelessly coupled to a drone. The drone includes a video cameracapable of capturing live streaming images in the form of video data fordisplay screen 50 typically formed either integral with the dronecontroller 60 or as an additional display component 12, mounted to acontroller 20. Conventional drone cameras and operational signals aretransmitted at frequencies of about 2.4 and 5.8 GHz. In one embodimentthe video compressor 16 attached to the drone controller 20 using clamps30 and 32. The video data output from the drone controller 20 is coupledto the cellular transmitter 16 with a removable plug 13 at HDMI input14. USB port 42 provides power to the video compressor 16. The videocompressor 16 includes a bracket 46 with a tilt hinge 48 allowing thepositioning of a display screen 50. The display screen may include a sunshield 52 to allow better viewing in sunlight conditions.

The video compressor 16 is constructed and arranged to condense videodata output into a compressed video having low bandwidth and lowlatency. The cellular modem , integrated within the video compressor 16,is used to upload compressed video to the internet by use of thecellular network. A decompression server is located on the internet forreceipt of the compressed video data wherein the decompression serverdecompresses the video data allowing standard VMS systems to connect tothe video streams allowing live streaming review from a remote location.

The compression efficiency, due to the complexity of the real timevideo, recommended rates are in the 10-1000 kbps range to preserve thevideo detail. This translates up to 100 flight hours per month on astandard 25 GB/month plan. Compression works on an algorithm assigningbinary codes to pixels shrinking file sizes in the process.

The modem 16 is integrated in the system, reducing size, powerconsumption and complexity of the system. The display 26 illustrates thesystem status. The video compression device draws less than 2.5 W usingits internal modem. The input voltage range is 5 VDC and a modem SIMcard provides either dynamic or static IP. The operator of the dronereceives the video data from the drone having a mounted video camera inan assembly known in the prior art. The video data received from thevideo camera is received by the drone controller wherein the instantdevice creates a compressed video that can be forwarded to an internetlocated server by a conventional cellular network. The internet locatedserver decompresses the video and makes the decompressed videoaccessible through an Onvif or RTSP connection, allowing standard videomanagement systems to connect to the video stream. The device allowshigh quality live video from the drone’s handheld receiver to bebroadcast through the cellular connection to the internet fordecompression.

The drone video compressor for coupling to a drone controller is formedinto a mounting bracket 46 for securement to a drone controller 20. Theself contained video compressor 16 having a means for condensing realtime video data received a drone mounted video camera, not shown. Thevideo data is condense to a predefined low bandwidth having low latencyto form a compressed video.

In an alternative embodiment the drone controller 60 includes anintegrated screen display 62 which is coupled to the drone camera. Thepilot yokes 64 and 66 control the drone. In this embodiment a cellularmodem and compressor 68 are coupled to the rear 70 of the dronecontroller 60. As in the previous embodiment the video compressor isconstructed and arranged to upload compressed video to the cellularnetwork to access an internet placed server. As with the previousembodiment, a video decompressor is located on the internet placedserver wherein the video decompressor converts compressed video to a VMSaccessible through an HTTP connection. The real time video can be viewedlive on video walls, individual PC’s and handheld mobile devicesremotely located from said drone. The video data delivered is a locallyconnected ONVIF compliant stream.

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of the system depicting the HDMIoutput from the drone controller which is converted in to CSI-2 videoand transferred at a rate of about 1.5 gbps to an encoder. The encodertransfers H.264 video at a rate of about 2 mbps to a video compressionengine. The compressed video can be stored or transferred at a ratebetween 10-1000 kbps through a cellular moment to the internet. A videodecompression server is stationed on the internet to decompress thecompressed video and make this available as standard H264 video using anOnvif wrapper to a Video Management System (VMS) for access by VMSclients. FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of the system check when powered on.Load configuration is initiated with a modem which checks for internetconnection. With internet connection available, the HDMI encoder isstarted, first retrieving network time and starting of a videocompressor. If server connection is found then server requests are madeand the status messaged, network and video are checked.

The system provides a method of remotely transferring real time videofrom an Unmanned Aerial System (drone) comprising the steps of: couplinga video compressor to a drone controller video data output; compressingvideo data output from a camera mounted drone controlled by said dronecontroller; forwarding said compressed video data to the internetthrough a cellular modem coupled to said video compressor; decompressingsaid compressed video data through a decompression server coupled tosaid internet; wherein live streaming images from said drone controllervideo output are displayed on said drone controller and can be viewedremotely from said drone controller in real time through either directconnection of a video viewer to the output of the decompression server,or via a video management system connected to the output of thedecompression server.

For example, a pilot may use a drone for surveillance of an individualsuspect. By use of the instant invention, real time video from thesurveillance is compressed into a data format suitable for transfer overconventional wireless networks to an internet located server. Thecompressed data is then decompressed for wherein it is forward to VMSand made accessible through an HTTP connection. The streaming video canbe viewed live through the decompression sever on video walls,individual PC’s and even handheld mobile devices in the field, whichalso allows viewers to have complete mobility while maintaining visualconnection to the drone video feed. In this example, any law enforcementindividual may watch the real time video of the suspect individual usinga conventional smart phone. The device dimensions of approximately 3.6"× 1.7" × 1.0" provides such a small footprint that the drone controllerremains extremely mobile allowing the pilot to move uninhibited.

The terms “comprise” (and any form of comprise, such as “comprises” and"comprising”), “have” (and any form of have, such as “has” and“having”), “include” (and any form of include, such as “includes" and“including”) and “contain" (and any form of contain, such as “contains”and “containing”) are open-ended linking verbs. As a result, a method ordevice that “comprises,” “has,” “includes” or “contains” one or moresteps or elements, possesses those one or more steps or elements, but isnot limited to possessing only those one or more elements. Likewise, astep of a method or an element of a device that “comprises,” “has,”“includes” or “contains” one or more features, possesses those one ormore features, but is not limited to possessing only those one or morefeatures. Furthermore, a device or structure that is configured in acertain way is configured in at least that way, but may also beconfigured in ways that are not listed. The term “about” means, ingeneral, the stated value plus or minus 5%.

All Pat.s and publications mentioned in this specification areindicative of the levels of those skilled in the art to which theinvention pertains. It is to be understood that while a certain form ofthe invention is illustrated, it is not to be limited to the specificform or arrangement herein described and shown. It will be apparent tothose skilled in the art that various changes may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention and the invention is not to beconsidered limited to what is shown and described in the specificationand any drawings/figures included herein.

One skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the presentinvention is well adapted to carry out the objectives and obtain theends and advantages mentioned, as well as those inherent therein. Theembodiments, methods, procedures and techniques described herein arepresently representative of the preferred embodiments, are intended tobe exemplary and are not intended as limitations on the scope. Changestherein and other uses will occur to those skilled in the art which areencompassed within the spirit of the invention and are defined by thescope of the appended claims. Although the invention has been describedin connection with specific preferred embodiments, it should beunderstood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited tosuch specific embodiments. Indeed, various modifications of thedescribed modes for carrying out the invention which are obvious tothose skilled in the art are intended to be within the scope of thefollowing claims.

1. A system for remotely transferring real time video from a dronecomprising: a drone wirelessly coupled to a drone controller, said droneincluding a video camera capable of capturing live streaming images inthe form of video data for display on said drone controller and videodata output therefrom; a video compressor coupled to said dronecontroller video data output, said video compressor is constructed andarranged to encode and condense said video data output into a compressedvideo; a cellular modem coupled to said video compressor constructed andarranged to upload said compressed video at a compression video transferrate between 10-1000 kbps to a cellular network; and an internet placeddecompression server for receipt of said compressed video, saiddecompression server decompressing said video data; wherein livestreaming images displayed on said drone controller can also be viewedremotely from said drone controller, either directly by streaming videofrom the output of the decompression server, or through the use of avideo management server connected to an output of the decompressionserver.
 2. The system for remotely transferring real time video from adrone according to claim 1 wherein said cellular network is 3G, 4G, 5Gor LTE and the like cellular technologies.
 3. The system for remotelytransferring real time video from a drone according to claim 1 whereinsaid video data is accessible through an HTTP protocol connection. 4.The system for remotely transferring real time video from a droneaccording to claim 1 wherein said video compressor is formed integralwith said cellular modem.
 5. A method of remotely transferring real timevideo from a drone comprising the steps of: coupling a video compressorto a drone controller video data output; compressing video data outputfrom a camera mounted drone controlled by said drone controller whereinsaid video data received from said camera is compressed; forwarding saidcompressed video data to the internet through a cellular modem coupledto said video compressor at a compression video transfer rate between10-1000 kbps to a cellular network; decompressing said compressed videodata through a decompression server coupled to said internet; viewingsaid decompressed video data from said decompression server; whereinlive streaming images from said drone controller video output can beviewed remotely from said drone controller in real time, either directlyby streaming video from the output of the decompression server, orthrough the use of a video management server connected to the output ofthe decompression server.
 6. The method of remotely transferring realtime video from a drone according to claim 5 wherein said video data isaccessible through an HTTP protocol connection.
 7. The method ofremotely transferring real time video from a drone according to claim 5including the step of storing compressed video.